


The New Kids

by sanctuary_for_all



Series: Partners [52]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Established Relationship, Family, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Team as Family, With Steve and Danny as Parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-17
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-08-03 10:19:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16324379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanctuary_for_all/pseuds/sanctuary_for_all
Summary: 5-0 doesn't really hire people. It adopts them.(aka Tani and Junior make their entrance into the "Partners" universe.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Is this completely ridiculous? Yes. Could I help myself? No.

When Kono announced to the rest of the team that she was pregnant, it set off a round of congratulations and parenting advice that lasted the rest of the evening. It wasn't until two days later that it hit both Danny and Steve that this would cause a little bit of a personnel issue right around the time maternity leave hit, and that wasn't even including the possibility that she'd be stuck on desk work for the last month or so of the pregnancy. 5-0 wasn't exactly the sort of place where you could just bring in a temp.

The more they thought about it, the more they realized that permanently expanding the team wouldn't be such a bad idea. More backup was never a _bad_ thing, and it wasn't like crime was suddenly going to get less. (Danny carefully did not mention how useful this would be as part of his long-term plan to get Steve to retire sometime before they both died of old age. But he thought about it very hard.) They approached Governor Mahoe with the idea, and they managed to get salaries for two more team members squeezed out of the annual budget.

Applicants came pouring in the moment the opening was announced to the rest of the department, and the most logical next step was obviously to have the entire team sit down and go through the applicants together. They'd all have to work with them, for one thing, and they all had different strengths that could pick out things the other people couldn't.

Of course, his team had never been great at doing what was logical.

"You don't think you're actually going to pick somebody who _sent in_ an application, do you?" Kono gave them an amused look, her bag over her shoulder like she was about to go home instead of do important things like choose her future co-workers "Check their references, sit them down for an interview?"

"That's how sane people normally do things like this, and though I know none of us are _actually_ sane I like to pretend sometimes," Danny retorted. "Besides, what's our other option? Kidnap someone?"

"I did not kidnap you." Steve poked his head out of his office. "I requisitioned you. There's a huge difference."

Danny pointed a finger at Steve. "Literally the only difference between those two things is the amount of paperwork involved."

"Kono's right, you know," Chin added, emerging from his office and also clearly ready to head out the door. "Name one person on this team that actually applied to be on it."

Danny floundered, suddenly caught without a useful answer, and "Lou had to transfer in. That's what these people would be doing."

Lou suddenly appeared as well, shaking his head. Clearly, he'd been waiting for his cue. "That was just paperwork. I got to know you guys by butting heads with your crazy husband when I was with SWAT, and ended up officially adopted into the team when you helped me get my daughter back."

Danny gave an exasperated sigh. "I'm sure Jerry had to apply." Thankfully, Jerry had already gone home for the day, and therefore was unable to contradict this.

"He did," Steve added, a loyal husband who had good sense in at least some areas of his life. "I signed off on it myself."

Chin raised an eyebrow. "And how long had he been working with us before he was officially hired?"

Danny had the good sense not to try and respond to that. "So what you're saying is that you expect the universe to just _magically_ hand us the perfect people for the team."

Kono grinned. "Oh, it's not the universe we're counting on. It's you two."

"You both have this field around you that draws in... unusual people," Lou explained, gesturing to the imaginary field. "If there's a uniquely talented person out there in desperate need of a found family, you two will find them."

"And immediately adopt them," Chin added. "We're all part of the ohana, but everyone knows you two are Mom and Dad."

Steve suddenly looked concerned. "You guys can all bring in people too, you know. You don't have to wait on our approval."

"We know." Lou clapped him on the shoulder as he headed back into his office. "But it's still nice to get. Makes us feel like we're officially part of the family."

"So, rather than choosing one of the people who we _know_ a: have the training needed to do this job and b: have actually expressed an _interest_ in working with us, you all genuinely expect Steve and me to just be _mystically_ guided to them." Danny glared the idiots in front of him. "I'm calling bullshit. You just don't want to go the files with us."

"If you gave me enough bathroom breaks, I'm sure I could handle it," Kono said easily. "But why go through all that effort when it's just going to end up being pointless?"

Even Steve was starting to look amused at this point, but since he was still kind enough not to say anything Danny was willing to forgive him that. "It's _not_ going to end up being pointless, because I'm going to take the files home and go through them like a rational adult. And I'm going to make Steve go through them with me, both because he's technically the boss and as my husband he's legally required to be supportive of me."

"You do that." Chin gave him an amused look as he headed out the door. "They'll be a good comparison when you find the people we're really supposed to work with."

When Kono started to follow Chin out, Danny made one last-ditch effort to inject some sense into things. "You know these people are still going to be working here when you get back from maternity leave, right?" Danny called after her. "You'll have to work with them just as much as the rest of us!"

"I trust you, Danny!" she called back, waving at him over her shoulder. "We all trust you!"

When she left, Danny sighed and dropped his face into his hands. "If we end up having to deal with some kind of kidnapping or terrorist attack just to get new co-workers, I am going to be _incredibly_ pissed at the universe."

Steve's only response was to put a sympathetic arm around his shoulders.


	2. Chapter 2

Days later, he and Danny still hadn't gotten around to looking at the files yet.

They'd meant to, honestly. But when no one else on the team had wanted to join them, they'd seen no reason not to do it at home after Brandon had gone to bed. Then life had gotten in the way -- "Enemy Mine" had been on TV, and Brandon had wanted Danny to explain pretty much every single moment of it -- and they told themselves they'd do it tomorrow. Then they'd gotten slammed by a case, and any energy they had left went to Brandon and each other. Then Grace was back in the house, adding to the list of things that were more important than extra paperwork.

By that Friday, Steve had almost forgotten they still needed to look at the files. He was focused on their new case, a murder that uncovered a multi-million dollar jewel heist no one knew about, and a call from Grace that the truck wasn't working. She'd gotten out of school early, picked up Brandon, and taken him swimming at one of the hotels where Kamekona had an in with the manager. They didn't use it often, but it was a family rule that the kids weren't allowed in the ocean unless Steve was there.

Since Steve was the one who could do on-the-spot car repair, Danny went with Chin to follow up on a lead so he could take the car. Grace and Brandon were sitting by the edge of the pool, talking to the lifeguard, and Grace must have been watching for him because she jumped up as soon as she saw him. After a whispered conversation with Brandon, she left him by the lifeguard and hurried over to Steve. Then she hurried _past_ Steve, grabbing his arm and dragging him out of immediate view.

As he followed his daughter around the corner, Steve realized that something else was definitely going on. "I take it this isn't really about the truck?"

Grace winced, clearly embarrassed. "Sorry about that. The truck's fine, but I needed to get either you or Dad here and it would have been weird if I'd had to go off somewhere to call you. She hasn't realized anything's up because Brandon has his adorableness on full blast, but I didn't want to spook her."

This was reminding him a little too much of Grace's romantic comedies for his peace of mind at the moment. "And _why_ exactly do we not want to spook her?"

Her face lit. "Because she should join the team!"

Ah. That... was not the response he'd been expecting. He knew he and Danny had been talking about it in front of the kids, but... "That's a really sweet idea, Grace, but I don't know if a lifeguard really has the training needed to...."

She stopped him with a "you've got to be kidding me" look that was remarkably similar to her father's. "I _know_ that, Uncle Steve. She was in the police academy, but then her dad died and she..." Grace hesitated. "...let's just say she made some bad decisions. But she really wants a second chance, and she really _needs_ more family. The team could be both!"

Looking down into Grace's bright, expectant eyes, Steve sincerely wished he'd made Danny come along with him. "Does she actually _want_ to join 5-0?" he asked finally, setting aside the question of whether or not the kid was actually qualified. "Because the secrecy right now isn't doing much to convince me of that."

Grace waved a dismissive hand. "Brandon told her that our dads are cops, which is how we started talking about all this in the first place, but I didn't want to make her feel all pressured. Once she's in, though, she'll love the team. Everybody does."

Steve really, _really_ wished Danny was here right now. "Grace, it's really nice that you want to do this for her, but...."

"Please, Uncle Steve." She wrapped her arms around his middle, her big pleading eyes a lot more serious than the puppy dog look he'd been expecting. "She sounded so sad when she talked about it. Just give her a chance."

Steve sighed. "What's her name? I'll take a look at her file."

Grace grinned, tugging him down. "Thank you!"

He bent over like she wanted to, lips curving upward as he accepted the cheek kiss she gave him. It stayed as he watched her run back to Brandon and the lifeguard, though it quirked a little. "At least it wasn't a terrorist attack," he murmured to himself, then called Danny.


	3. Chapter 3

When Chin pulled up in front of the hotel, Danny had the door open before the car stopped all the way. "This is insane." He announced this to Steve as he got out, then turned back around and leaned in to address Chin. "Tell me _you_ at least know this is insane."

"You're the one who had me drop you off here instead of convincing your husband to come back to work." Chin had pitched his voice loudly enough to make sure Steve heard it, every word warm with amusement. "I don't think Steve's the only one who's insane here."

Danny pointed a finger at him, sounding much less offended than he probably meant to be. "You're enabling this, so there's very clearly something wrong with all of us."

Chin drove off with a laugh as Danny returned his attention to Steve. "Don't look at me like that." He narrowed his eyes at Steve's grin. "This isn't cute. This is a sign of just how deeply you've broken my brain."

Steve fought back the grin, holding his hands up in mock innocence. "All I did was tell you that Grace and Brandon found a recruit, and that I was going to have Jerry send us both her file."

Danny made an exasperated noise. "Yes, and you know perfectly well how good her file looked. She was top of her class before the little incident that got her kicked out, and it's not like we haven't had good luck with people who've been booted out of the HPD."

Steve had come to exactly the same conclusion, which was why he'd waited for Danny's call to say he was coming rather than head back to the Palace. "Don't forget the notes in her file."

Danny sighed in exaggerated suffering. "'Unconventional thinker with impulse control issues.' Which pretty much describes every single member of 5-0 except for me."

Steve's grin returned. In some ways, Danny was crazier than the rest of them put together. "You just keep telling yourself that."

They walked over to the pool, falling into automatic step with each other. This time, it was Brandon who hurried to meet them. "Did you check?" he asked, as excited as Grace had been. "Can we tell Tani now?"

Steve and Danny looked at each other, having a conversation with their eyes that weighed the pros and cons of the job offer being made by an adorable not-quite-five-year-old. Steve was of the opinion that you took advantage of the resources you had -- this was going to come off as odd no matter how they did it, and it was _extremely_ hard to say no to Brandon.

Danny must have agreed, because he crouched down in front of him. "We want her on the team, Tracker. But she has to want it to."

Brandon's face lit, and he hurried back to Tani and Grace at the speed of someone who'd been told they shouldn't run and was holding to that by the thinnest of technicalities. "Tani!" he shouted. "My dads want you to join 5-0!"

Tani turned her head just enough to keep one eye on him and another on the pool. "That's sweet, little guy, but I don't--" Steve could tell the exact moment she recognized him and Danny, because her eyes went wide and her attention snapped fully their way. "Holy shit. It's you two."

Steve hadn't been certain they'd be recognized, but since she'd been the academy he'd thought there was a pretty good chance. Duke joked sometimes that all new recruits were given warning posters with the team's pictures on them.

Danny, possibly thinking exactly the same thing, gave her a wry look as they moved into conversational range. "We've had worse reactions."

Tani blinked, finally breaking the stare, then turned to Grace with a look that suggested she'd finally started to figure out the conspiracy. "When you said your dads were cops, you conveniently _failed to mention_ they were also the _heads of 5-0_."

Grace just smiled, completely unrepentant. "You didn't ask."

Tani rolled her eyes, but that was the moment Brandon came close to the chair and looked up at her with his best puppy-dog eyes. "You don't want to join 5-0?"

"Like I said, little guy, that's...." The words trailed off, and she looked up at Steve and Danny with an absolutely baffled expression. "Wait, you're serious? You actually want me to join the team?"

"We're expanding," Steve said easily. "When Grace mentioned your name, we took a look at your qualifications. You'd be a great fit."

She looked even more baffled. "I got _kicked out of the Academy._ "

"We know." Even Danny was starting to look amused. "Believe us -- that's no barrier to 5-0."

Now Tani's look was starting to question their sanity. "I _punched out my training officer._ "

Steve couldn't help but grin. "Well, you know what I had to do to the last co-worker who punched me in the face."

Danny looked heavenward, as if praying for strength, but he still finished the joke. "He married me."

Tani looked back and forth between them. "You're serious," she said again. This time, though, she was starting to sound like she actually believed it. "You really want _me_ to join _5-0_."

"It's a family." Brandon beamed up at her. "Yours is small now, so you and your brother should come join ours."

"Not only will you be part of the family, you'll get the chance to help people like you wanted," Grace chimed in. "Danno, Uncle Steve, and everyone else help _so_ many people."

Tani actually looked faintly embarrassed at that. "I seriously don't usually talk about feelings like that." She turned back to Steve and Danny, her tone somewhere between an accusation and an apology. "Your children are _dangerous_."

Grace just beamed. "We learned from the best."

"She's right, though," Steve added, giving the words the weight they deserved. "We do help people. And with you on the team, we could help even more."

When Tani started to look a little overwhelmed, Danny stepped forward. "You don't have to take our word for it." He had that lion tamer tone he used sometimes, the one that could ease almost anyone right where Danny wanted him. "If you're interested, come by the Palace once you're done with your shift. We've got a stealth jewel heist we're working on, which makes it slightly less likely the bad guys will try to--" He cut himself off as he glanced over at Brandon. "Let's just say it'll be a little more relaxed than some of the other cases we work on."

Tani looked back and forth between all four of them, still clearly wrestling with the decision. Finally, she took a deep breath. "Yeah, okay." Slowly, something that looked like hope snuck into her face. "I'll come by once I'm done with my shift."

Steve smiled as the kids cheered. "Welcome to the team."


	4. Chapter 4

Tani turned out to be an excellent fit for the team, though she was crazy enough that even Steve had to occasionally say "hey, you need to slow down a minute." (Danny loved when that happened, because it was both delicious irony and a deeply life-affirming sign of just how much Steve's sense of self-preservation had grown over the last several years.) Kono, of course, took her under her wing instantly, and Danny was waiting for the announcement that they were kicking off their plans for world domination any day now.

It was a good enough fit, in fact, that the second team manner Governor Mahoe had given them money for seemed like less of a priority. They'd get someone, of course, and Danny would _finally_ make his way through those files like he kept meaning to, but there was no need to fill the spot right away. It would make their yearly budget look better, if nothing else.

All that was the furthest thing from Danny's mind that Saturday as he stepped into the post office closest to their house. The cover story was that he'd gone out to pick up a few last-minute supplies for dinner they'd forgotten during their last grocery trip, but he was actually picking up some presents they'd ordered for the kids' upcoming birthdays. While Steve kept them distracted in the water at home, Danny would take the gifts over to Jerry's house and away from the prying eyes of their extremely clever and curious children.

On his way out the door, however, his "lost-looking Navy kid" radar pinged on a young guy by the P.O. boxes. He'd just checked one, and the sheer depth of disappointment on his face made it clear that whatever he'd been hoping to find wasn't there. Danny, watching, started to move towards him without bothering to consult his brain about it. "You know it sometimes takes mail forever to get from the mainland out to Hawaii," he said. "Just because something hasn't shown up yet doesn't mean it's not on its way."

The guy looked surprised he'd been noticed, then embarrassed. "The letter would actually be from right here in Honolulu, but it's not even supposed to be here yet." He rubbed the back of his neck, the embarrassment sliding into that humble/bashful routine that always made him want to give the Navy kids a cookie and praise their artwork or something. "I've completed all the steps it takes to get into the HPD's police academy, but I'm still awaiting the final decision."

So _former_ Navy boy, though he'd kept a lot more of the demeanor than some of them. "I'm sure you'll do great. You look like you'd be a really great fit for the HPD."

He brightened. "You really think so?" When Danny nodded, the kid looked even more pleased. "I know it's a long shot, but my ultimate goal is to join 5-0."

Ah. It wasn't surprising that Steve had Navy groupies, but Danny wondered if he should be offended he hadn't been recognized. "Do you follow any of the 5-0 spotter accounts?"

The guy shook his head. "I was tempted, but it's weird when you follow someone on social media and don't know them in person." Then he winced. "When I first got discharged about a year ago, my plan was to just show up at Commander McGarrett's door and ask him about a job. Luckily, he wasn't listed anywhere, so I had time to actually think a little and realize I needed to show him I could do the job first."

Jerry had actually cleaned Steve's information out of a bunch of online directories about a year and a half ago, after that shady reporter tried sniffing around. It was probably good for the kid, in retrospect, since they hadn't had any job openings to offer back when he would have come knocking.

Of course, now they did. Which was an insane thought to _have_ , since there was an entire stack of candidates who would kill for the job and had _already graduated from police academy_. Hell, he'd at least gotten the chance to look at Tani's _file_ before asking her to come see what she thought, which was a hell of a lot more than this weird gut feeling that was probably just pro-Steve prejudice. The smart thing to do would be to leave the conversation now and let the guy deal with his retroactive embarrassment later.

Of course, if he always did the smart thing, he'd have a very different life right now.

Danny sighed, giving in to the inevitable. "You know McGarrett's insane, right? Are you sure you really want to work for that guy?"

The kid grinned. "My old master chief already warned me about that, but there's no way _all_ the stories can be true. I heard about the tank, but there was no way it was actually a birthday present for Commander McGarrett." Danny closed his eyes a moment – _everyone_ had heard about the tank – but thankfully the kid didn't notice. "And it's not like he's the only member of 5-0 with stories. People say Detective Williams walked away from a plane crash and took down an entire drug ring because he was mad somebody shot Commander McGarrett."

Shit. He hadn't known that one had made it into the regular population. "So they're _all_ insane. That would make me _less_ interested in working with them, not more."

The kids' expression turned serious. "You have to be a little insane to do the really impossible jobs. 5-0 is like the SEALs – when no one else knows what to do, they're the ones who get called in. It takes a special group of people to be willing to do that, and it would be an honor to back them up in any way I could." He paused, like he was wrestling with something. "Even if it's just as a member of the HPD."

Aw _hell_. Kono was never going to let him live this down. "I just realized we never introduced ourselves." He shifted his grip on his packages, then held out a hand. "I'm Danny Williams."

The kid was polite enough that he'd taken Danny's hand before the words fully registered, which meant Danny had a front-row seat as all the color drained from his face. He closed his eyes. "Special Operator Second Class Junior Reigns," he said finally, managing to sound only slightly strangled. "Please let me apologize for every word that's come out of my mouth over the last five minutes, sir."

"Don't worry about it. Consider it an initial job interview." He pulled his phone out of his pocket, opening it to the notes function. "Here. Write down your name and number, and I'll talk with Steve and the rest of the team. If everyone agrees, and you check out as good as I think you will, you've got a spot on the team as soon as you graduate the academy."

Junior just stared, too shocked to move. "You don't know if I even made it into the academy yet!"

"I've got a good feeling." Danny waved the phone at him. "But if we need to, we can throw on some recommendations from 5-0 to seal the deal."

Still, Danny was almost certain it wouldn't come to that. Junior reminded him of what Steve might have been like if his family hadn't made him completely insane, and if he was wrong about that it just meant he'd get more opportunities to watch Steve be the rational one.

And damn it, he liked the kid. Probably because of all the similarities to Steve, sure, but that didn't make it any less true.

Junior inhaled like he'd just now reminded himself to start breathing, then took Danny's phone and started adding the requested information. Halfway through, he looked up. "They're true, aren't they?" he asked finally. "The stories everyone tells about you guys."

Danny sighed. "I haven't heard one that's wrong yet."

Junior grinned like a kid who'd just gotten definitive proof that Santa Claus really existed, then quickly finished with the phone and handed it back to Danny. "Thank you, sir. I promise you I'll do everything in my power to make sure you don't regret it." He took the packages out of Danny's other hand. "A process I'll start right now by carrying these out to your car."

Danny let them go, amused. "You know you don't have to kiss up, right? I already like you."

"I like you too, sir." Junior looked amused right back at him. "Which I am showing by carrying your packages for you."

Danny chuckled, gesturing toward the parking lot. "Can't argue with that."


	5. Chapter 5

When he got home and told Steve what happened (carefully avoiding any reference to the post office, because the kids were in earshot) the big dope spent pretty much the entire rest of the day just grinning at him. The team had a similar reaction when he told them all about Junior the next day, but luckily his service record was fantastic and his scores on all the entrance testing were great. Everyone agreed he was the right person to join the team.

He also made it into the academy easy as a dream, a fact that the team knew a full week before Junior did and very maturely didn't tell him. They _did_ have an impromptu party when Junior got the official letter, having the entire team and their families over to the house to celebrate. Jerry had roped Tani into playing hide and seek with the three youngest kids, all of them laughing and shrieking like it was the best thing ever, while Junior was swapping Navy stories with Steve over by the grill. It was good for Steve to have someone on the team who really understood the whole Navy thing, and Danny suspected it would be good for Junior to have someone who'd already successfully navigated the transition to civilian life.

Watching all of this unfold with a deep sense of satisfaction, Danny headed inside to get the rest of the food. He wasn't surprised when he heard footsteps behind him, and handed Kono the bowl of potato salad without looking up. "I know you're not supposed to be rude to a pregnant woman, but shut it."

When he turned around, Kono had the bowl balanced on the curve of her stomach and a huge, smug-little-sister grin on her face. "Oh, I don't have to say a _word_. You already know how right I was."

Danny ducked back into the fridge with a sigh. "I blame Steve." He pulled out the lemonade and tossed salad, setting them down on the counter. "All these years with the human version of a golden retriever has permanently damaged my brain."

Kono's expression softened as she set her own bowl down on the counter. "I'm sorry, Danny, but it's just you. You and Steve have always been the heart of our ohana."

Danny's chest tightened. "You mean Steve's the heart." He started looking for napkins solely so he would have something to do with his hands. "I'm just the idiot who's usually standing next to him."

"I'm serious, Danny. Steve may be our fearless leader, but you're the glue that holds the team together." She laid her hand on his arm, stopping him in place. "If you hadn't been here, the team wouldn't have survived the whole mess that happened when Wo Fat killed Governor Jameson."

Danny's fingers clenched involuntarily, brain shying away from the memories of Steve in prison for murder. "We should have helped you more during your whole secretly fake suspension thing." Then he realized what he was saying, than narrowed his eyes at her. "You should have _told_ us about the fake part of the whole suspension thing."

Her exasperation was affectionate. "Steve was in prison for murder. He was the slightly higher priority." Then she smiled. "And that's what I mean – you've surrounded yourself with the kind of idiots who would happily face hell for the people they care about, but withdraw when they have their own problems because they're constitutionally incapable of asking for help." She laid a hand on his cheek. "We need you to keep us from wandering off to die in the woods alone."

Danny swallowed a chuckle, which came out slightly damp sounding because of the lump in his throat. "Any of you even _think_ about trying that, rest assured I will follow you and kick your ass."

Kono's smile widened. "Believe me, we know." Then she pulled him into a hug. "You and Steve are both really good at loving people, and after you started loving each other it just made you both that much better at it. There's no way we'd be a ohana without you."

Danny tightened his arms around her. "You're pretty damn good at loving people yourself," he murmured. "You're going to be an excellent mom."

Kono's own laugh was a little damp. "With the help of a lot of panicked calls to two of the best dads I know."

Danny smiled. "Any time."

**Author's Note:**

> Come check out my [original fiction,](https://jennifferwardell.wixsite.com/mybooks) my [blog,](http://jennifferwardell.blogspot.com) or say hi to me on [Tumblr!](http://sanctuaryforalluniverses.tumblr.com)


End file.
